I was at the local bar with some of my friends and we were having a rock conversation and they all think Ronnie James Dio is better than Robert Plant. I love Plant and Dio, but Plant is better in my opinion.

rwe333

08-28-2012, 02:48 PM

Plant was crazy great for several records, though his voice changed dramatically. Little doubt he's had a remarkable career and never rests on his laurels. Few can lay claim to such a diverse discography.
Dio's voice remained consistently strong through much of a long career, but didn't diversify the way Plant did.
Both icons. Little doubt Plant changed/challenged the industry more and will go down in history. But, it was hard to fault Dio as a singer.

IGuitUpIGuitDown

08-28-2012, 02:50 PM

Plant a tree, and remember Ronnie. :(

thrashmetl

08-28-2012, 03:09 PM

I'll try to put this as best I can. Though I personally enjoy listening to Ronnie more, metal doesn't have the legitimacy that just plain old Rock N' Roll had. Led Zep in their prime was on top of the world as they appealed to a larger majority of their target audience, but Ronnie in his prime was near the top of a smaller niche that appealed to a smaller audience. Robert wins.

ggwwbb

08-28-2012, 03:16 PM

Plant for me, with no disrespect to Ronnie......

Carltone

08-28-2012, 03:24 PM

which ever sang less songs about knights, trolls, dragons and such...:huh

DWB1960

08-28-2012, 03:26 PM

Apples and oranges. Both on the top shelf for what each did.

DWB1960

08-28-2012, 03:28 PM

Plant was crazy great for several records, though his voice changed dramatically.

Dio's voice is arguably the better, more consistent instrument, but I just happen to like Led Zep better than any of the bands in which Dio sang. I dislike the operatic heavy metal style of vocals and prefer bluesyier (spelling?) vocal stylings.

I totally agree with the post above which stated Led Zep were more rock and roll and thus had more universal appeal. The bands Dio sang in seem kind of cheesy to non-fans of the genre. I can listen to Led Zep, but I can't listen to Dio, Rainbow, or Dio era Sabbath. Purely a personal preference for musical style of course...

GCDEF

08-28-2012, 03:52 PM

Dio

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Plant

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freedom's door

08-28-2012, 04:07 PM

Plant had more success but to me there's no comparison. Dio's voice as an instrument is simply on another level.

Dio, and it's not even close.

My feelings as well.

TNJ

08-28-2012, 04:08 PM

I may be wrong here, but:

knights:
Plant - 0
Dio - 0

trolls:
Plant - 0
Dio - 0

dragons:
Plant - 0
Dio - 0

(Can anyone think of any songs that do mention these? I can't think of one!)

:huh

Ramble on, I think mentioned 'Mordor', and 'Gollum and the Evil One'.
And, of course, Battle of Evermore mentions the 'Dragon of Darkness'.

Hey...you asked,

S.
j

DWB1960

08-28-2012, 04:19 PM

Ramble on, I think mentioned 'Mordor', and 'Gollum and the Evil One'.
And, of course, Battle of Evermore mentions the 'Dragon of Darkness'.

Ramble on, I think mentioned 'Mordor', and 'Gollum and the Evil One'.
And, of course, Battle of Evermore mentions the 'Dragon of Darkness'.

Hey...you asked,

S.
j

RO does mention Mordor, Gollum, etc., but not a knight, troll, or dragon - right? TBOE does mention the DOD.

Dio, therefore, WINS!!!!

:rotflmao

Thanks, Steve!

TNJ

08-28-2012, 04:22 PM

To me, Plant even LOOKS more the part.
Prince of Gondor, travelling Mystic in Kashmir, or Viking headed to Valhalla...he's DA MAN!
In all fairness, I've not heard much of Dio...I'm a bit biased, and get the Led out quite often.

No mention of knights in NQ - implied to be 'wearing steel'
Dragon pants have nothing to do with Plant's lyrics
Gollum was a hobbit corrupted/changed by The Ring - right?
Elf was Dio's band before Rainbow, but not lyrics

Allen in San Jose

08-28-2012, 06:12 PM

Dio was the better singer, and more consistent in his live performances, but Plant reached an arguably greater audience, and thus was more influential.

Still, I voted Dio, if we go by singing ability and consistency.

taco-man

08-28-2012, 06:36 PM

No mention of knights in NQ - implied to be 'wearing steel'
Dragon pants have nothing to do with Plant's lyrics
Gollum was a hobbit corrupted/changed by The Ring - right?
Elf was Dio's band before Rainbow, but not lyrics
Just goofing around. I stand corrected.

leonard d rock

08-28-2012, 06:37 PM

both were good, but i think ronnie was better as he was still singing his songs in his normal pitch and range in his late years while plant's voice changed down. both made great contributions to rock

mvd18969

08-28-2012, 06:39 PM

Plant had more success but to me there's no comparison. Dio's voice as an instrument is simply on another level.

Dio, and it's not even close.

Totally agree........Dio by a landslide........../thread

RedTiger

08-28-2012, 06:52 PM

Dio could actually sing the higher notes.

Plant could...well, let's just say we all know it doesn't take a good singing voice to kick ass, nor did Zeppelin suffer from Plant's voice.

When on, Marriott was incredible. But he wasn't always on...
Ian Gillan was amazing at his best - a real one-off. But he had a hard time singing Ronnie's tunes (as did Halford).
Paul Rodgers was one of the few w/ a head voice as high and powerful as Ronnie (very different style).

Carltone

08-28-2012, 08:23 PM

I may be wrong here, but:
:huh

I don't really follow either of them closely but I know they both did and others have shown the proof...:rotflmao

gregm99

08-28-2012, 08:30 PM

Plant and Zep were legendary in his prime,but more because of songwriting and status.

Dio was a better pure singer with a more diverse body of work and his voice stayed stronger for many more years.

I voted Dio...just my opinion!

pfflam

08-28-2012, 08:46 PM

I can't believe that Dio's voice or songwriting is taken remotely seriously, he sounds downright goofy . . . he lacks any of the nuance that Plant has on an off day and while Led Zeppelin's songs might touch on knights etc theirs are still far from the goofy adolescent cartoon silliness of Dio's oeuvre

Plant = emotional songcraft and unforced voice mastery even when the lyrics come from knights and Mordor (written when the Lord of the Rings was barely known yet)

I agree on all points. Plant was inconsistent in his prime ('69-'71), and it just got worse.

But Gillan...man, untouchable when at his best.
Coverdale & Hughes couldn't even pull it off working together. :)

And both of them are damn good singers too!

Dr. Tweedbucket

08-29-2012, 06:00 AM

Plants voice was kind of annoying in a way for me, especially live, but I'm going to have to vote in his favor simply because the band around him just rocked hard and had lots of great material. Dio was an excellent singer, but more cheese factor than I usually like to see. Man on the Silver Mountain was a great tune! :love: